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Note: Today there will be minimal walking required while enjoying stops along the trolley tour.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Golden Goose Restaurant. Multiple hot entrees to choose from including bacon and eggs, french toast and sausage, fruit bowl and yogurt, oatmeal, etc.

Morning: Hear the geologic story of the Sedona area and the Grand Canyon through a presentation by Stan Beus, a noted Grand Canyon geologist, professor Emeritus of geology at Northern Arizona University and author of "Grand Canyon Geology."

Afternoon: Board the Sedona Scenic Trolley for a two-hour exploration of Sedona, including a stop at the famous Chapel of the Holy Cross. The trolley tour is fully narrated, providing information on the history, geology, climate, flora and fauna of the area. The trolley will stop for photo opportunities at scenic vistas.

Dinner: Dinner at Golden Goose Restaurant, adjacent to the hotel.

Evening: The evening presentation is a Sedona or Colorado Plateau-related presentation.

Note: Today there will be required walking at the Grand Canyon of about 1 mile total, mostly on flat, paved or dirt trails. Longer walking/hiking opportunities available in the afternoon where participants have a little free time to explore rim trails or descend into the canyon along the Bright Angel Trail.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Golden Goose Restaurant.

Morning: After an early breakfast, travel Hwy 89A, one of Arizona's most scenic byways, through Oak Creek Canyon, and up its famous switchbacks en route to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Visit the southwestern corner of the Navajo Reservation and the Cameron Trading Post. Then enter Grand Canyon National Park at its east entrance where the Desert View Watchtower comes into view. This stunning stone structure was designed by Mary Jane Colter, a renowned architect and designer for the Fred Harvey Company and Santa Fe Railroad. The view of the Colorado River from here is unmatched anywhere else along the rim. A naturalist will accompany you on your journey, revealing the Grand Canyon's unique geologic, biologic and historic features while you have the opportunity to walk along the Canyon's rim. You'll see Grand Canyon Village, where you may tour historic buildings and see Native American arts/crafts and other souvenirs in village shops. Colter also designed of some the most impressive structures in the historic Grand Canyon Village including Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge and Lookout Studio. You may even see an endangered California condor soaring overhead as you gaze into the Canyon's depths below.

Lunch: Sack lunch at Grand Canyon.

Afternoon: After a full afternoon exploring and learning about the Grand Canyon with some free time, you will board the motorcoach for the return trip to Sedona. Don't forget to take one last look across to the Canyon's North Rim, 10 miles away as the raven flies, before settling into your seat and recapping the 1.8 billion year layer cake of earth's history you've just seen in person!

Dinner: Dinner back in Sedona at the Golden Goose with ample time to recount your day at the Canyon.

Evening: Return to Sedona hotel in the late evening to enjoy some rest after your full day at the Grand Canyon.

Note: A free afternoon gives participants the opportunity to explore Sedona on their own. Numerous hiking trail abound for those that want to stretch their legs out.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Golden Goose Restaurant.

Morning: This morning a Hopi presenter will discuss Hopi customs and traditions. The Hopi, descendants of the Grand Canyon's Ancestral Puebloans, live on ancient mesa villages northeast of Sedona. Discover the fascinating world of this enduring Native American culture and discuss the modern challenges which they face.

Lunch: Lunch at the Golden Goose Restaurant.

Afternoon: Enjoy a free afternoon in Sedona to explore Sedona's spectacular red rock country on your own or visit the many art galleries and attractions. Visit Sedona's unique shops and impressive art galleries. Sedona is home to over 80 galleries and several annual arts festivals that attract hundreds of recognized exhibitors from throughout the entire Southwest. You may also opt to take a short hike.

Dinner: Dinner at Golden Goose Restaurant, adjacent to the hotel.

Evening: Evening entertainment with Ken and Lynne Mikell's Western Ballads and Tales. Ken and Lynn are frequent performers at southwest cowboy poet festivals and have been delighting Road Scholar participants for over a decade.

Note: About one mile walking on flat, paved trails, while at Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Golden Goose Restaurant.

Morning: Depart on a field trip to Montezuma Castle National Monument (cliff dwellings). Montezuma Castle is a 5-story, 20-room cliff dwelling nestled in a limestone recess high above the flood plain of Beaver Creek in the Verde Valley. It is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America, constructed 600 years ago by the Sinagua Indians.

Lunch: Lunch will be at "Vintages Grill" in the village of Rimrock.

Afternoon: Ride the Verde Canyon Railroad! The Verde Canyon Railroad is often referred to as the finest train ride in Arizona and acclaimed as Arizona’s longest-running nature show.
The remote wilderness of the Verde Canyon, located west of Sedona and below Jerome, is renowned for its towering red rock pinnacles and clean, green waters. The train rolls past Indian ruins, through a 680-foot man-made tunnel, over old-fashioned trestles and under clear azure skies. This picturesque setting is further enhanced by the variety of indigenous flora and fauna and many migrating waterfowl. Over thirty bald and golden eagles winter in this riparian respite each year. The 40 mile trip travels very slowly (10-15 mph) and mostly near the canyon bottom.
Passengers enjoy this four-hour scenic train ride in style aboard renovated passenger coaches and open-air viewing cars pulled by vintage locomotives. Participants have inside seats and access to outdoor observation cars.

Dinner: After disembarking the train, have your final night dinner at Ming House in Cottonwood where the extensive buffet offers many choices, no matter what your taste.

Evening: Tonight is unscheduled as we have spent the entire day out and about in the fresh air.

Day Six: Friday, May 17 - Sedona Movies and Magic/Program Conclusion and Fa...

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Golden Goose Restaurant.

Morning: Enjoy "Movies and Magic," a presentation about the film industry and its history in Sedona. Did you know that Elvis Presley made a movie in Sedona? Remember Jeff Chandler as Cochise in Broken Arrow with Jimmy Stewart? We bid one another fond farewells following the presentation. Program ends at 10:30 AM

Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities

Sedona, AZ

General OverviewPoints of interest within two hours of Sedona: In the Flagstaff area, 30 miles north: Sinagua period ruins at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National Monuments; Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument; the Native American artifacts and collections housed at the Museum of Northern Arizona, which also presents Native American performances and demonstrations; the Kachina Wilderness on the 12,600 ft high San Francisco Peaks; old downtown Flagstaff & old Route 66; Lowell Observatory, which discovered the planet Pluto.
In the Oak Creek / Sedona area: Massive sandstone cliffs and riparian beauty of Oak Creek Canyon; Sedona red rock monoliths and the surrounding Secret Mountain Wilderness; Sedona’s fine art and jewelry galleries and its international cuisines; the New Age Sedona vortex offerings; Jerome, AZ a mining ghost town.
In other outlying areas: Hopi & Navajo Reservations; the Mary Colter designed La Posada Hotel / Restaurant at Winslow, AZ; Grand Canyon Railroad at Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon National Park (2.5 hours north.)

Important information about your itinerary: Please know that while we do everything we can to finalize all aspects of our programs well in advance, there are logistics that occasionally must be altered. Our website will reflect the most recent information, and we are committed to providing you with final program details no later than eight weeks prior to the start of programs outside the U.S. and three weeks prior to the start of programs within the U.S. If you ever have questions about your program, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

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The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!